It was 8 o’clock in the morning when
the bells began to peal. We’d arrived in Kiev the night before,
checked into the brand new Hyatt Regency and quickly fell asleep.
Now wakened by the chimes, we drew back the drapes. And there before
us were the multiple golden cupolas of St. Michael’s Cathedral,
rising up from facades blue as the sky this glorious June morning,
gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight, and circled by flocks of
swallows. We stood at the window entranced for maybe a quarter of an
hour until the chimes ceased and the birds flew up over the treetops
of neighboring Volodymyrs’ka Hirka Park heading towards the Dnieper
River which slices down Ukraine all the way to the Black Sea. Thus
began our memorable, dare we say mystical, encounter with this city
which manages to retain an ancient Byzantine aura even as it stands
poised to emerge onto the world stage as a major European capital in
a nascent democracy.

“There’s a lot of interest in Ukraine right now,”
says Stephen Ansell, the Hyatt G.M. “It’s in the center of Europe,
the continent’s second largest nation after Russia. The Crimean
coast is incredible, there’s a huge Black Sea coastline and the
Carpathian Mountains. The 2012 European Football Championship will
be held here -- a tremendous achievement. All sorts of
infrastructure will be developed. Kiev itself is very interesting
historically. And we are hoping to contribute to the country’s
rapidly growing hospitality sector.”

Twelve hours had passed since the ringing of the
bells; we’re having drinks with Stephen in the Hyatt’s glittery
lobby lounge whose centerpiece is a stunning fireplace open on both
sides. Moments before we’d climbed a glass and steel stairway, an
engineering marvel that inexplicably floats up two stories from the
below-ground level --it was like walking on a bridge suspended in
space. Now, back on earth, we take in the striking décor and down
the smoothest vodka ever. “Nemiroff -- Ukraine’s most famous vodka,”
Stephen explains. “In the other CIS countries: Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Kryzygtan, Russia, it is the most respected of all. And
these guys know their vodka.”

Stephen is an Englishman, fair-haired, with a
ruddy complexion, an infectious smile, and overwhelming enthusiasm
for “Hyatt’s first project in Ukraine, and Ukraine’s first five-star
international property.”

Soon shrimp cocktails in frosted glasses
arrive. So do two other people involved in the project.
Valentine Smirnyagin, a bookish-looking young man who
recently returned home from Pennsylvania having earned his
MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, represents the local
company that owns the hotel (as with many of its properties,
Hyatt’s role is managerial). Mary Lystad, a slender and
elegant American wearing a vibrant
Missoni dress (“I bought
it in Washington DC during my last trip home”), is an
investment officer for International Finance Corporation, a
branch of the World Bank, which lends money for projects in
the private sector in emerging markets.

Stephen
Ansell, General Manager of Kiev’s Hyatt Regency

As the conversation turns, we realize what we are
witnessing is more than the excitement generated by involvement in
the early days of a new luxury hotel. It is the sense of being a
participant in something larger -- a national momentum in a country
whose past was so often marked by oppression and war but whose
future portends development of vast natural resources, economic
growth, and the undeniable rewards of a democratic government.

“The very example of this hotel expresses a kind
of confidence in Ukraine,” says Valentine. “It comes from a stable
economy. A stable economy leads to economic growth; with economic
growth comes greater democratic forces. The bottom line for the
future of Ukraine is to have a stable environment where business can
thrive, where tourists can come for leisure, and business people for
business.”

Mary interjects. “The fact that the IFC is here is
a sign of confidence in the property and its location; something
that was not present a few years ago. We act as a catalyst to bring
commercial banks to the area which furthers economic development.”

She smiles, “It’s a very exciting time, something
of the moment. Ukraine is on the way up. There is massive interest
in the country, massive change. In terms of opportunity, Ukraine is
going to go places.”

And Stephen adds, “The hotel is a great step
forward for Kiev. But it’s also a great achievement for Hyatt. We
view it as a big honor to be the first one in the door.”

That door opens onto an encompassing chronology
going back to the times when Kiev was the capital of Kievan Rus, the medieval predecessor
state that ultimately divided into
Belarus,
Russia and
Ukraine. And the Hyatt is positioned in its historic heart.

From a hilltop in the old city,
the hotel overlooks a pair of Russian Orthodox cathedrals built in
the eleventh century, during “the Golden Age of Kiev,” a time when
Christianity was still relatively new to this part of the world.
To the east is St. Michael’s (of the
chiming bells); to the west, Saint Sophia with its 13 green and gold
cupolas. Named by UNESCO a World Heritage Site, it is the “sister
cathedral” to Istanbul’s Byzantine masterwork, the Hagia Sophia.

Saint Michael’s (of the chiming bells)

Saint Sophia (sister to Istanbul’s
Hagia Sophia)

The Hyatt is a neo-modern edifice, the sole 21st
century building in sight. It stands before a broad plaza studded
with garden beds of roses and geraniums. Beyond is Saint Sophia’s
Square dominated by a statue of the Cossack general het’man Bohdan
Khmelnitskiy rearing back on his horse. Across the way, a row of
small 18th century buildings, painted yellow and white and
transformed into high-end boutiques, line the street. Nearby,
Volodymyrs’ka Hirki Park, its greenery bordered by big, brilliant
marigolds, meanders downhill to the Dnieper River. It is altogether
a historical panorama (although happily free from the dreariness of
Soviet-era buildings) but also one reflecting contemporary Ukrainian
urban life, bustling with a crisscrossing of vehicular and
pedestrian traffic and the haphazardly parked cars one sees all over
Kiev. Embraced by centuries past, the Hyatt
stands in striking contrast to its architectural neighbors. At the
same time, its curved facade of blue glass acts as a huge mirror
throwing back varying images of Kiev’s long history.

To enter the hotel is a
heart-stopping experience -- even by Hyatt standards.
Predictable enough is the soaring atrium at the center of
the lobby that gradually narrows to a skylit roof. Only
this one is of a shape that resists description. One
observer remarked it was a quarter of a circle; another
thought it looked like an ellipse. Neither seems quite
right. Still it earns universal gasps whether looking up
from ground level or through the glass wall of the elevator
that glides along one of the three straight walls (the
fourth is curved), pulled and released by steel pulleys.

The lobby’s walls and floors are gleaming,
cream-colored marble. Furnishings are coolly contemporary –
swiveling Eames-style chairs, low backed sofas in a nubby white
fabric, stark black coffee tables. There are great open expanses,
huge windows bringing in natural light, minimalist décor. The
ambience is anything but Byzantine. Still, pillars wrapped in what
appear to be sheets of gold mosaics, and golden rectangular plates
that hover above lighting fixtures suspended from the atrium on
lines so thin they’re nearly invisible are subtle echoes of the
gleaming cupolas but a short distance away.

The stairway seemingly suspended in
space

In the lobby: golden echoes of the cupolas

While belonging to a fraternity of 217 hotels in
43 countries, the Kiev Hyatt never forgets where it is. The 234
guest rooms and suites are replete with the de-rigueur accoutrements
for a five-star hotel: handsome and luxurious furnishing,
state-of-the-art communications technologies, digital controls for
lights, television, and draperies. But there’s also a steam bath –
one’s own private “schwitz” -- available at the touch of the shower
dial. And although Grill Asia, the hotel’s main restaurant, focuses
on the multiple cuisines of Southeast Asia, Ukrainian products and
preparations are in ample supply.

To enter Grill Asia, one crosses a little bridge
from an interior hallway into the splendid spaciousness of a
contemporary dining room whose huge windows look out over the
neighboring landmarks. True to the modern spirit of the hotel,
surfaces are granite, glass, steel, and marble; floors and wall
panels are of dark wood; straight-lined, streamlined tables and
chairs easily combine into settings for group get-togethers or
intimate rendezvous. On the far side of the room, a generous-sized
horseshoe-shaped bar stands beside floor-to-ceiling glass-fronted
wine closets.

But the chief distinction of Grill Asia lies less
in its dining (and drinking) facilities than its kitchen which takes
up more than half the restaurant’s space. Inspired by the concept of
the “Open Kitchen” where a couple of chefs do their thing behind a
row of burners, the Grill Asia brings the entire kitchen on stage.
All the props are there: the cold buffet table refrigerated from
below, the refrigerators themselves outfitted with glass doors that
artfully display ingredients from strawberries to cheeses, the
island of burners and grills, the wood-burning oven, the big square
steaming area beneath an enormous white hood, even the pots and
pans. And of course, the company of chefs in their toques blanc.
Nothing is backstage but storage facilities.

“In Ukraine there is this tendency of people to
share things,” Stephen told us when our little party gathered for
dinner. “So I thought we might share appetizers family-style.” At
the Grill Asia kitchen, maybe some ten feet from our table, we could
see cooks preparing the little kabobs of chicken, beef and shrimp in
a spicy peanut sauce -- they were consumed in no time, the crispy
and delicate miniature spring rolls, a refreshing glass noodle salad
flavored with coriander. From the tray of crushed ice on the Cold
Seafood Bar came a seemingly endless supply of plump oysters flown
in from Brittany. From the cold meat table, servings of delectable
foie gras.

All of which was enough for a meal, but the
temptation to try such national favorites as borscht, served hot,
with meat and accompanied by pampushki, a challah-like bread topped
with garlic and dill, and vareniky stuffed with cherries and served
with sour cream (causing a rush of Proustian euphoria) was too
powerful to resist.

The next morning, the setting appeared unchanged.
Only the Grill Asian kitchen was closed, and elsewhere the focus had
shifted to breakfast foods. The Cold Seafood Bar was now the
repository for cereals, a variety of yogurts, a lavish display of
fresh fruits. Alongside the burners, platters of potatoes, onions,
mushrooms and grilled tomatoes sat beside a huge bowl of eggs
waiting to be assembled into custom-made omelets. A buffet held cold
meats and the smoked fish we adore: salmon, sturgeon, herrings, also
cheeses of many kinds. Another buffet laden with fabulous desserts
the night before now displayed the great Ukrainian breads: crusty
village dark bread, pumpernickel with fruits and nuts, rye, and dark
wheat. In their midst, a huge goblet was filled to overflowing with
the small sweet cherries in season at this time of the year.

“We have two totally different cuisines here – the
Asian and the European,” Executive Chef Mike Borsdorf told us over
coffee. “We do a lot of Ukrainian dishes – a European cuisine but
with its own specialties. That’s typical of Hyatt –they always
include local culture into the menu.

“As for the Asian cuisine, there is no proper
Asian restaurant in Kiev. We are starting something new. Right now
we have an Indonesian chef and a Vietnamese chef. Next month I’ll
probably get a Thai chef, and we have plans for a small sushi bar.”

Chef Mike Borsdorf in the Open
Kitchen

Although he admits to being in the
culinary field for twenty one years, Mike, who was born and
grew up in Germany, looks no older than that and has the
fresh-faced optimism of an American undergraduate from the
1950s.

“I think I got into this line
of work because I always had wanderlust and thought as a
chef, I could see the world,” he confessed.

Being a long-time a member of the Hyatt
family has allowed Mike to realize his dream. He first
became exposed to the various Asian cuisines in Australia.
In Dubai he met the Vietnamese chef whom he lured to Kiev.
“But the other Asian chef is from Jakarta,” he noted. “This
is the first time he ever left Indonesia. It is a big move
for him.”

It was a much easier move for Mike whose last
Hyatt station was Moscow. Still he has immersed himself in Kiev’s
culinary culture, frequents the local market to see what is
available, seeks out people who know the cuisine. “The produce here
is excellent,” he said. “Now we have the early cherries; soon they
will be bigger. I discovered honeycomb in the market. We serve it
for breakfast; you break off a piece and eat it.

“The foie gras is excellent, so are the sausages.
The smoked fish are very traditional, and we get very good quality.
I’m looking forward to the fresh mushrooms of the fall. There are no
truffles, but what do I need them for? The mushrooms are terrific.”

He went on, “Our baker is German but the people
working with him are local. We asked the people we hired what are
the good breads and we asked that they bake them as well. These
breads we have – you won’t find them everywhere.”

As part of the team, Mike is participating in the
movement of Kiev onto the world stage. “We are requesting things
from suppliers they may not be ready for,” he told us. “We have to
tell them specifically what they are – like the prime American beef
we are trying to get. The staff is not used to the style we are
working in. We have to be very demanding. But they all are willing
because they know our guests have certain expectations, and we have
to meet them.”

He continued, “I love this kitchen. One of the
best I’ve ever been in. There’s not another kitchen like this in the
Ukraine. It is so wonderful to be out front.” He smiled, paused for
a moment, then added, “But when we work, we forget we are surrounded
by guests, and we work as if it is a closed kitchen.”

If Jean-Francois Durand still has a hankering to
put on his white apron and chef’s hat, he is not saying. Born and
raised in France where he trained as a chef, the soft-spoken deputy
manager could be mistaken for a philosopher or a poet. In fact, he
has been both chef and F&B manager in various Hyatt properties for
fifteen years and in locations as far-flung as Moscow and Jerusalem.
But at the Kiev Hyatt, his domain is room operations. “The mission
is to go to what you do not usually do,” he told us. “Hyatt deserves
a lot of credit in that it gives its people the opportunity to grow.
Once they prove themselves in one area, they are exposed to
something new.

“Nevertheless,” he admits, “every so often I am
tempted to stop in, see what the chef is doing, and give some
advice. But I resist it.”

Instead Jean-Francois showed us some of the public
spaces of the Kiev Hyatt starting with the conference center, an
annex with a street entrance from the building next door. “Like so
many historic buildings in Kiev, this one is protected,” he said of
the 19th century three-story red brick building with decorative
arches, bas-relief pillars and wedding-cake type embellishments. “It
can’t be torn down; its façade cannot be altered. So we have
incorporated it into the hotel – it makes for an interesting
entrance.”

Within, the conference center is
decidedly 21st century with some spectacular futuristic
effects like a round recessed ceiling in a meeting room
whose color deepens via a light control panel from the
palest blue to indigo.

We descended to the below-ground level
where Spa Naturel, the hotel’s health club/fitness/wellness
and beauty center, is situated. “It is for hotel guests but
membership is available for people in the community as
well,” Jean Francois told us as we entered a gym-sized room
with an enormous swimming pool, “This is one of the largest
in Kiev, 82-feet long, 23-feet wide,” he said. Undoubtedly
it is also one of the most beautiful; lined with mosaic
tiles in patterns of gold, royal blue and emerald green, it
is yet another link in the Byzantium chain.

Jean-Francois
Durand, deputy manager

Pedro Lopez, director of Spa Naturel, joined our
little tour down a corridor lined with treatment rooms, sauna,
showers, all the facilities one would expect in a spa. “But Spa
Naturel goes beyond what one traditionally expects in a spa,” he
insisted. Elegantly dressed and handsome as an old fashioned matinee
idol, Pedro came to Kiev from the Hyatt in Murcia, Spain having
brought the exclusive Barcelona brand Natura Visse along with him.
“It’s not well known in America, but it’s a trendy product in Europe
that celebrities use. Also Carita from Paris, an excellent brand.”
He described the spa’s “Diamond” facials which achieve Botox effects
without injections (sadly, we were not around long enough to indulge
in one).

Spa Director Pedro Lopez

Evoking moods of
Byzantium: the Spa Naturel Pool

“Our clients can choose among a range of massages
from different parts of the world,” Pedro added. “Hawaii, Mexico,
Japan, for example. We do the Siatsu (Japanese) massage on the face.
I try to mix different cultures, rituals from different parts of the
world. Our products are natural and aromatic for a total sensory
experience. Our goals are beauty and well-being, not only for your
skin but for total relaxation inside and out.”

It soon became clear that the “top brass” of the
hotel was made up of experienced Hyatt personnel who had years of
on-the-job training at properties all over the world. Stephen
Ansell, for example, has worked in such diverse locales as Istanbul,
Bischcain –Kryzygstan, Southeast Asia, Saudi Arabia, and Moscow.
Together they form a highly accomplished team that is up to the
challenge of keeping the spotlight on this exceptional property.

But the 250-member staff is comprised largely of
young Ukrainians. Engaging, competent, eager to please, they do
whatever is needed to make one’s stay a pleasure. “We had to recruit
from the area,” Stephen told us. “And 75% of our employees have
never worked in the hotel industry before, mainly because the
industry is just establishing itself as an employer in Kiev. But we
found people who are very willing to learn, easy to train, and so
excited to be part of this ground-breaking experience. All are
fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English. Many know a fourth, even
a fifth language. They are a key factor in the country’s future.”

Key to the future:
just a few of the Hyatt Regency staff

And. . . the lovely Anna Taruta

Among the young Ukrainians who have joined the
Hyatt team is the lovely Anna Taruta, sales and marketing
coordinator. Anna was nine years old when the Soviet Union dissolved
and Ukraine declared independence. She witnessed life under the
Soviet system and the unsettled time that followed. But, as a result
of living in an increasingly free environment, she has had the
opportunity of attending university in London and training at the
Hyatt there and in Berlin. Now she has come back home.

“I’m thrilled to be placed here,” said Anna who
was our unofficial guide throughout our stay. She is enamored of
Kiev, informed about its historic sites, aware of its tragic
history, and hopeful for its future.

It was with Anna that we saw the Golden Gate of
Kiev, the city's ancient entrance, familiar to music lovers from the
triumphant conclusion of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an
Exhibition." Seeing the gate surrounded by chestnut trees, which did
look golden in the morning sunlight, we could almost hear the
orchestrated pealing of the bells and thought how this legendary
city had been the capital of Kievan Rus for
centuries until it was destroyed after the Tartar and Mogul
invasions in 1240 and how that designation subsequently fell on
Moscow.

Our last night in Kiev, we walked,
together with Anna and her friend Andriy Syrytsya the few
blocks from the hotel to Independence Square, site of the
Orange Revolution. It was still light out. The menacing
towers of the massive Soviet-style buildings that rim the
square seemed less ominous in the soft dusky light, perhaps
because the mood in the square was so lighthearted. There
were skateboarders trying out daredevil maneuvers – not
always successfully, young couples holding hands as they
strolled along flower-bordered pathways, parents wheeling
little children in strollers.

Andriy is a marketing analyst who recently
returned home after working in the Hague and Frankfurt. Now
he is part of the Hyatt team. “It is an exciting time,” he
said. “That is why I have come back.

Symbol of Kiev: The Golden Gate

“Today Russia is using gas and oil prices as a
means of influencing things,” he told us referring to recent
political events. “They are trying to push their political agenda.
But there’s no going back. Ukraine will never be a part of Russia
again.”

“There’s a lot of room for the city and the
country to grow,” Stephen had told us. “And we are delighted to play
a part of it. Ukraine has suffered a lot in the past. But the people
are very forward and positive.

“Our hope is to generate interest from Western
Europe. There are very good and short flight links. London to Kiev
directly is 3 ½ hours. Nothing. From the States, we hope to jump on
the bandwagon of neighboring nations such as Poland and Russia so
visitors can come to Kiev on a direct flight from New York and stay
for a couple of days before going to St. Petersburg and Moscow.”

He went on, “There’s interest from Western Europe
in finding alternative destinations for meetings, regional events,
etc. Ukraine is ready for this; Kiev is ready for this.” He smiled
and added, “So is the Kiev Hyatt.”

About the Authors: Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer are a wife and husband
team who successfully bridge the worlds of popular culture and traditional
scholarship. Co-authors of the critically acclaimed interactive oral histories
It Happened in the Catskills, It Happened in Brooklyn, Growing Up Jewish in
America, It Happened on Broadway, It Happened in Manhattan, It Happened in
Miami. They teach what they practice as professors at Dartmouth College.

They are also travel writers who specialize in luxury properties and fine dining
as well as cultural history and Jewish history and heritage in the United
States, Europe, and the Caribbean. More
about these authors.